Large variety from a single album can be a frightening proposition. Complaints such as “it didn’t gel” or “it isn’t cohesive” are definite descriptive possibilities when an album rife with varying sounds and moods graces a reviewer’s ears. However, so too can a response be more along the lines of “it has excellent diversity” or “it contains surprises around every corner.” But then there’s Boy is Fiction's Broadcasts in Colour, an album that flirts with variety, cliché, excellence, and straightforwardness.
Take for example “Pinprick," a simple song in terms of overall motion, but it is more complex below the surface. The melody is melancholic yet sweet, with a theme of joy found in solitude and sadness. It is short, but it packs a world of emotions into its melody and the dense but simply flowing background. This is in stark contrast to the preceding track, “Feeling Lazy,” where cliché picks up its ugly head. The timbre of the voice processing is almost spot on to Brian Eno’s voice on Last Night On Earth. While it’s not bad to emulate Eno, it is a sound that is becoming overplayed and is perhaps not as powerful as it once was. The lyrics also seem to hearken a somberness that comes from the Eno era, yet the track falls a little short of profundity with lyrics like “When I’m feeling lazy today and I feel like fucking wasting away…” These lyrics lack the subtle elegance of the musical production, which otherwise is quite stellar. The melodic rhythmic elements mixed with often explosive and glitchy beats create the true mood of the track rather than the lyrics. While I’m sure the lyrics are rife with true passion, they don’t quite match the intensity of the music.
“Sand” displays the first of many channeled sounds from the Dust Brothers, particularly the Fight Club OST, and the mid-career works of Trent Reznor. Rough, boomy beats lay a very fat substrate while distorted synths and spacey pads round out the top end and create a beautiful destruction of sound. “Rat” hits hard with a dark intensity and a driving beat that is angry, but not totally — brooding is perhaps the proper term. There is a continual sense of joy through melancholy, which is one of the true powers of music. Boy Is Fiction is able to express his emotional depth through a wide array of sounds and moods.
Yet another mood surfaces as the frantic “I Close My Eyes” raises the bpm and wakes up the listener. A simple piano melody lurks in the background, but it is the acid lead and thwack of the snare that really drive the song forward. This track, along with “I Left You There,” seem to be the more exuberant pieces on the album, and whether they are meant to be joyous, angry, or depressed, they reach out towards the listener rather than dwell inwardly within themselves.
Broadcasts in Colour is a far-reaching album that doesn’t fear taking steps in many directions on one album. Frantic beats and sweet melodies rest comfortably together while synths reminiscent of many ‘90s electro bands lay nicely in between more modern production styles. I wouldn’t call the music schizophreni; it is more bipolar. Some elements of Broadcasts in Colour are a bit cliché and the ‘90s sound is sometimes questionable, but it is an album that knows how to touch the emotional center of the listener.
-Greg Norte